RECAP: 2013 Junior/Under-23 Sprint World Championships

Six US boats record Top 20 finishes Sunday, making nine total boats on the weekend. Ryan Dolan’s 11th place finish in men’s Under-23 K1 200m punctuated Sunday’s performances.

The Kailua, Hawaii-native finished 2nd in his B Final with a time of 25.817, which was +0.167 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher. The U.S. Senior Team member entered the B Final after placing 3rd in his heat and 4th in his semifinal.

“Today was good,” Dolan said. “My race was a lot better than I felt in the semifinals. I was a little disappointed; I really wanted to make the A Final, but that's where I am. I had a very hard semifinal and sometimes that happens, and that was all I could do.”

Visit www.canoeniagara.ca for start lists, results and live streaming video starting each day at 9am EST. Click HERE for photos from Joel Guay of Shodanphotos.

Team USA has plenty of motivation to return to 2014 Junior World Championships with improvement in mind. The team members had a chance to watch the A Finals, witness the presentations for the team medals, and see the official hand off of the flag to Szeged, Hungary, host of next year’s event.

Russia sent the largest contingent and won the most overall team points. Many of the U.S. athletes will now head to Oklahoma City for next weekend’s 2013 U.S. Sprint National Championships.

Gig Harbor Canoe & Kayak Race Team members Makenzie Sousley (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and Savannah Jones (Gig Harbor, Wash) finished 4th in their women’s Junior C2 500m Final, which was a wild race that saw the leading boat capsize just short of the finish line. The U.S. duo finished with a time of 2:12.430, which was +7.325 seconds behind the race’s first place finishers.

A day after placing 16th in men’s Junior K2 1000m, Istvan Urban (San Diego, Calif.) and Dylan Puckett (Jones, Okla.) finished 13th overall in the 200m distance. Their 4th place B Final time of 35.437 was +0.254 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

A day after placing 14th in men’s U-23 K2 1000m, Lanier Canoe & Kayak Team members Chris Miller (Gainesville, Ga.) and Stanton Collins (Gainesville, Ga.) finished 14th in the 200m distance. Their 5th place B Final time of 34.530 was +0.672 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

Ben Hefner (Gainesville, Ga.) and Katy Hill (Gig Harbor, Wash.) finished 17th and 18th overall in their respective 200m B Finals. Hefner’s 8th place B Final time of 42.852 was +3.493 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher. Hill’s 9th place B Final time of 45.209 was +3.705 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

CORRECTION: Ian Ross’s place 8th overall in men’s U-23 C1 1000m on Saturday, not 11th. Two boats were disqualified in the A Final and another did not start.

QUOTES:

Chris Miller, Men’s U-23 Kayak: “It was a good race. We'd been training for the 1000 [meter] and had an unexpected good result in the 200.”

Stanton Collins, Men’s U-23 Kayak: “The race was great. We ended up doing a lot better in our 200s than we thought we would, so it was good. Our 1000s were nice, and we have more room to improve for next year.”

Isti Urban, Men’s Junior Kayak: “It was a very close race. We really wanted to win this because we wanted to place among the Top 10 in the world. We gave it all we had, and we finished 4th, which puts us 13th in the world and we can't complain.”

Ian Ross, Men’s U-23 Canoe: "This is really a great regatta. It's my best performance in International competition and it feels great to have the hard work pay off. I was last off the line and essentially had to do a second start to get in with the pack. I liked my position at the 500 [meter mark] and saw the Mexican boat start his kick at the 250. I waited until the 200 and really felt strong going into the finish."

Joe Jacobi, USA Canoe/Kayak CEO: "I'm proud of our performance in Welland and the way our athletes represented themselves, their sport and their country. Compared to our past results, we are improving and improving and while we have much work to do, we recognize our progress and a program moving in the right direction."

Bob Lally, USA Canoe/Kayak Board Chair: "It was honor to be in attendance at the Worlds in Welland. We are grateful to our Canadian hosts and our partners at Canoe/Kayak Canada. We also extend our gratitude to the staff, coaches, volunteers, clubs and parents who make this outstanding opportunity possible for our athletes."

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DAY 3:

Ian Ross (Bethesda, Md.) highlighted a productive Saturday for Team USA, placing 2nd in his Under-23 C1 1000m B Final, or 8th overall. His B Final time of 4:07.002 was +2.031 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

Two U.S. men’s K2 boats finished 14th and 16th overall. Lanier Canoe & Kayak Team members Chris Miller (Gainesville, Ga.) and Stanton Collins (Gainesville, Ga.) finished 5th in their U-23 1000m B Final (or 14th overall) with a time of 3:26.393, which was +6.111 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

Miller and Collins also advanced to the 200m B Final with a 6th place finish in their semifinal. Their semifinal time of 37.247 was +2.677 behind the race’s first place finisher.

Istvan Urban (San Diego, Calif.) and Dylan Puckett (Jones, Okla.) placed 7th in their Junior 1000m B Final (or 16th overall) with a time of 3:33.663, which was +12.112 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

Urban and Puckett also advanced to the 200m B Final with a 4th place finish in their semifinal. Their semifinal time of 37.864 was +1.747 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher, and two tenths of a second from qualifying for the A Final.

Also advancing to B Finals on Saturday were Ryan Dolan (Kailua, Hawaii), Katy Hill (Gig Harbor, Wash.), and Ben Hefner (Gainesville, Ga.). Dolan finished 4th in his U-23 K1 200m semifinal with a time of 39.806, which was 2.413 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher and 1.033 seconds away from a berth in the A Final.

Hill placed 8th in her U-23 K1 200m semifinal with a time of 49.233. Hefner finished 8th in his U-23 C1 200m semifinal with a time of 46.299. Lydia Keefe Sampson (Seattle, Wash.) finished 4th in her Junior C1 200m semifinal with a time of 59.792 - less than 1 second behind 3rd place and a spot in the Final.

Five U.S. boats finish in the top 5 Friday in their respective heats as they head into Saturday’s semifinals. Ryan Dolan (Kailua, Hawaii), the U.S. flag bearer at the event’s Opening Ceremony, paced Team USA with a 3rd place finish in his men’s Under-23 K-1 heat to reach the semifinal. The Senior National Team member turned in a time of 39.496, which was +0.604 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

After reaching the B Final in U-23 K-2 1000m with their performances on Thursday, Chris Miller (Gainesville, Ga.) and Stanton Collins (Gainesville, Ga.) placed 3rd in their 200m heat to advance. The Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club duo finished in 36.803, which was +1.551 behind the race’s first place finisher.

After qualifying for Saturday’s B Final in Junior K-2 1000m on Thursday, Istvan Urban (San Diego, Calif.) and Dylan Puckett (Jones, Okla.) finished 4th in their 200m heat to advance. Their time of 37.789 was +1.790 behind the race’s first place finisher.

Also competing on Saturday is the men’s 1000m B Finals for Ian Ross (Bethesda, Md.) in U-23 C-1, Miller and Collins in U-23 K-2, and Urban and Puckett in men’s junior K-2.

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DAY 1:

Three U.S. boats advance to B Finals on Thursday. Ian Ross (Bethesda, Md.) led the way placing 3rd in his Under-23 C-1 1000m heat and then 4th in his semifinal to reach Saturday’s B Final. Ross’ semifinal time of 4:37.365 was +12.195 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

The Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club duo of Chris Miller (Gainesville, Ga.) and Stanton Collins (Gainesville, Ga.) finished 6th in their Under-23 K-2 1000m heat and semifinal to advance. Their semifinal time of 3:45.379 was +7.931 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

The Junior K-2 1000m duo of Istvan Urban (San Diego, Calif.) and Dylan Puckett (Jones, Okla.) placed 4th in their heat and 8th in their semifinal to advance. Their semifinal time of 3:49.685 was +11.643 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.

In Junior K-1 1000m, Jesse Lishchuk (Philadelphia, Pa.) finished 6th in his heat and 7th in his semifinal. His semifinal time of 4:04.355 was less than 2 seconds outside of a top 6 finish and a spot in the B Final.

In Junior K-1 1000m, Jesse Lishchuk (Philadelphia, Pa.) finished 6th in his heat and 7th in his semifinal. His semifinal time of 4:04.355 was less than 2 seconds outside of a top 6 finish and a spot in the B Final.

In Junior C-2 1000m, Gig Harbor Canoe & Kayak Race Team members Zach Guay (Seattle, Wash.) and Nick Baert placed 8th in the heat and 5th in the semifinal. The finished the semifinal in 4:24.918. In Junior C-1 1000m, Andrew Field (Gig Harbor, Wash.) placed 8th in his heat with a time of 4:22.064.

On Friday, Team USA will compete in the heats and semifinals for the 500m and 200m distances.

“Tomorrow brings nine heats and a number of semifinals for Team USA,” said Kristi Guay, U.S. Junior Team media contact. “The athletes are feeling positive and ready to show the world what they are capable of. The positive results on Thursday helped calm pre-regatta jitters and improve the group's confidence. We're looking forward to a great rest of the regatta.”

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PREVIEW:

Hundreds of athletes from more than 70 different countries will compete. This is the first time that the Junior Sprint World Championships also include an Under-23 age category.

The event serves as a qualifying event for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. The event will be the first major competition at the brand new Flatwater Centre, where the sprint racing for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games will be staged.

The U.S. paddlers were selected based on their performance at the 2013 U.S. Sprint Team Trials in Oklahoma City, Okla., April 26-27. Much of Team USA competed in the 2013 Lake Placid International on July 6-7. Click HERE for a recap.

“I just really want to make the A final in both the 200 and 1,000 meter events and go from there,” Puckett said. “The competition looks well trained but we have confidence. It is a great honor to represent Team USA so close to home and we hope to make our families and the United States proud of us.”

“The quality of the organization and team support for this event has been terrific,” USA Canoe/Kayak CEO Joe Jacobi said. “The Worlds in Welland represent exciting opportunities for both the Junior and U-23 programs. Our Board Chairman, Bob Lally, and I look forward to being in Welland to support the team.”

Headquartered in Oklahoma City, USA Canoe/Kayak is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Canoe Federation. It governs the Olympic disciplines of Flatwater Sprint, Whitewater Slalom, the Paralympic discipline of Paracanoe and sanctions Freestyle, Marathon, Outrigger, Wildwater, Stand Up Paddle Board, Kayak Polo, Dragon Boat and Canoe Sailing in the United States. For more information about USA Canoe/Kayak, please visit us on the web atwww.usack.org, on Twitter at @usacanoekayak and Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/USACanoeKayak.